Within the Human Brain Project (HBP) started in October 2013, the Virtual Reality Group is leading a work package “Interactive Visualization, Analysis, and Control”. The work package is part of the HBP subproject “Interactive Supercomputing” headed by the Jülich Supercomputing Centre, and includes partners from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, the Swiss Supercomputing Centre, the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, and the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos de Madrid. Furthermore, the KAUST University in Saudi Arabia will serve as an associate partner in this work package.

VR GroupInteractive Exploration of simulated brain areas in the aixCAVE

In a ten years perspective, the work package aims to develop methodologies for the analysis of experimental brain data as well as data from extremely large, biologically realistic neural network simulations. The tools resulting from this work package will not only allow for an explorative, domain-specific, integrative data analysis at multiple scales, but will also provide advanced user interfaces to intuitively control data exploration, model building and simulations. Eventually, neuroscientists will be able to analyze data from complex brain simulations and to conduct in-silico experiments at the exascale level.

The grand challenges in terms of data size and data complexity on the one hand, and required interactivity and level of integration on the other hand, which go far beyond the capabilities of existing visualization and analysis tools, will be managed by means of software frameworks and – on the top of these frameworks – multi-view visualization, rendering and interaction algorithms at the exascale level as well as advanced interfaces between simulation, data management, visualization and steering.

Further Information

Collaboratve project with a number of partners from within the European Community